Reasons You Should Be Tracking Your Health Metrics

July 11, 2017

Thanks to an array of fitness trackers with constantly evolving technology, it’s easier than ever to maintain a log of your health metrics. From the number of steps you take to a number of calories you eat and burn, you can monitor how your lifestyle affects your health and use the data to make improvements to your overall well-being.

Here are a few benefits of keeping track of your health metrics and how doing so can help you become a better version of you.

You Can…Measure Your Progress

If it weren’t for a daily log of your stats, you’d likely have no idea whether you were making progress towards your health goals. Most people have no idea how much they walk in a day but fitness trackers do the hard work of keeping count of your steps for you. They even record the data so you can look back over the past week, month or year to see your improvement.

You can also, of course, manually keep track of your health information by keeping a daily log of your weight or your water intake. Any quantifiable information that you can write down about your health can be beneficial towards making strides to a better you.

You Can…Reach For a Goal

The easiest way to make a change is to set a goal and take steps towards reaching it. By tracking your health metrics, such as recording your weight every day, you can see how every choice you make affects your progress. Aim for walking at least 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, the recommended range for a healthy goal for most people, and monitor your progress daily to see the results in action.

You Can…Hold Yourself Accountable

It’s easy to skip a day of exercise if no one is watching. Even if you regularly work out on your own, you can hold yourself accountable by keeping track of your progress. Use a fitness tracker to monitor the number of steps or miles you walk each day and try to maintain a consistent level of activity. Keep an eye on your charts by regularly checking the app and consider offering yourself a reward if you meet your goal every day for a week or a month. Take advantage of fitness trackers built-in reminders to get up and move every hour or set your own alarm on your phone to remind yourself to take a break from work throughout the day. Be sure to track your progress in your wellness portal.

You Can…Find the Motivation With Healthy Competition

Many fitness trackers offer the ability to join team challenges, which can be a great motivational tool to encourage you to get moving. After all, by competing against yourself or your friends, you’ll be more likely to push to both break your record and take first place among your peers. Even if you don’t have access to a fitness tracker, you can still keep track of your progress by logging the amount of time spent exercising daily in your wellness portal.

You Can…Start Healthier Habits

It may be difficult to pinpoint unhealthy habits until you begin to keep track. For instance, you may think that a few chips here and a cookie there may not make much of a difference but if absent-minded snacking is a regular habit, it can quickly add up to a large amount of excess calories. By creating a food log and writing down everything you eat during the day, you may realize that you consume a lot more than you thought.

You Can…Monitor the Effectiveness of Your Health Routine

By tracking your diet, exercise and body metrics, you can easily see what combination works best for you. Small changes to your food consumption, such as indulging during the holidays, can make a difference. Consider increasing your workouts or simply pledging not to overeat despite the temptation to create a balance. You can find ways to improve even your everyday routine by keeping track of your health metrics.

As you can see, the benefits to tracking your health metrics are numerous. Plus, with the use of handy technology, like fitness trackers and pedometers, there’s really no reason not to keep an eye on your health metrics. It’s simple to do and can make a big difference in inspiring you to get healthy.